Athens Marathon - The Authentic

What to say?  I ran 26 miles and some. It was hard. I felt good at 10km so ran a little too hard and hit 1/2 way 4 minutes up on schedule.  Did that cost me the 14 minutes I was over my 3:30 target?  I still got a PB even though I had a nice positive split (again)  One day I may get it right!  Oh yes, My calf cramps started really early, before the 1/2 way, but I did my best to ignore them and with a little help from another runner who encouraged me to run with him, managed to avoid walking except the aid stations.

5km

Finished

New PB for Athens Marathon

A look back at 2014

With one race left in 2014, Athens Marathon in November I have started planning 2015

I have Enduroman down as undecided as they have so many races I am still deciding which to do.  I want to do the IUTA quin, but that will need a crew.  If I don't sort out a crew I will probably do the continuous double, as I know I can look after myself for 24 hours, having done it a few times this year on runs already.

With Dan, the winner

My favorite races from 2014 turned out to be the track races. Crawley went really well when I look back at the distance I ran. Gloucester could have been a better performance , but was still a fun race to be in.

With Bill. We ran 16 laps together!

Then Endure 24 turned out to be a mud fest, which surprisingly I did really well in. I was surprised because I hate mud, but I learnt that it was easier to run through it than try to walk.  I am starting to think bad weather suits me. 60mph gusts of wind on the bike in Lanza 2012. I even got blown off on the turn point. Only 15 finishers from 40 starters. TP100 2013 saw floods and snow with a finish rate of only 55%. The mud at Endure 24 this year meant only 10 people ran 100 miles or more in 24 hours.  It seems what we like: for me flat, clean, warm and no mud, is not what we are always best at!

run forest run!

I also enjoyed my only triathlon of the year at Weymouth.  The sea was rough and scared the hell out of me, but I made it through the surf to get on the bike.  A fast undulating course with very little wind. The run was really well supported, along the sea front.  I have already entered for next year as this will be the 5th Challenge UK and I am going for my 5th finish.

Scary as hell!

I was disappointed not to finish the Olympian race.  I was caught out by the mountains and need to train more on them. It was also to be my qualifier for the Spartathlon, so I have to rethink that.  I still have time as I was planning in entering the Spartathlon in 2016.  Maybe I can get my 100km in 10 and 1/2 hours or the 200km in 24 hours in a race, as these are also a way to qualify.

Olympian race

I have added a Race report for the Olympian race here: Race Report. I have tried to make it informative for people who want to do it as there are not many reports on this race online and it should be in a few bucket lists! You get to see some very unspoilt parts of Greece far away from the tourist traps.

Greece - here I come

From Crawley to Nemea to Olympia

Last Saturday I completed my first 12 hour track race.  The report is here.  This week I have been cycling to work all week, slowly for recovery.  I was feeling good so I went to the track Thursday for the club session.  After about 20 minutes My legs were aching big time, so I decided to call it a day and get more rest.  My A race is in 2 weeks time!  The Olympian Race; 180 km across Greece, so recovery is my top priority.  This race is a qualifier for the Spartathlon Race that I want to do in 2016.

This weeks training consisted of :
Sunday: Complete rest
Monday: AM cycle 14 miles PM cycle 14 miles
Tuesday: AM cycle 14 miles PM cycle 14 miles
Wednesday: AM cycle 14 miles PM cycle 14 miles
Thursday: AM cycle 14 miles PM cycle 14 mile. Aborted track session (I ran about 2 miles)
Friday: AM cycle 14 miles PM cycle 14 miles

Saturday: 4 mile walk.

From SDW 50 to Crawley 12

I have put a new race report up about the SDW 50 from this year 2014.
Recovery is going well and I am really looking forward to the Crawley 12 hour track race in a weeks time.

SDW 50

SDW50 2014

Last year I attempted all 6 of Centurions races completing 5 of them and dropping out of one at mile 76.  This year I have only signed up for one as I have other things to do.  This is the SDW50 which is next Saturday.  I am sat here in sunny Greece remembering the weather last year for the SDW50. It was cold, wet, windy and foggy. I'm hoping for sun.

This race is 6 weeks before my A race of the year and it is the first of the season for me to see how my training is going.  It feels like it is going well, but I need a benchmark.

SDW 50 2013 report

Centurion Running pre race preview

Race schedule

Run home

I had a great run last night.  It turned into an adventure with the weather. I left work at around 5:40 and headed of on my usual route home. It was slower than usual due to the mud and wind, but speed wasn't the objective of the run so that didn't matter. I ran across the fields and through the Baldon villages, passing the cemetery and thinking about ghouls and ghosts.  Luckily they didn't materialise from the graves and I got through in one piece.

I ran across more fields and on to Dorchester-On-Thames.  Here I ran down a footpath and as I got to the gate at the end I could see water. I ran into the water and within 2 steps it was up to my knees.  I stopped and looked at the field. It was completely covered in water. With my torch I could see the surface moving fast.  Unsure as to whether there was a current and knowing it would go at least up to my chest I decided not to venture further towards the bridge across the river and turned around.  I back tracked to Dorchester and then ran on towards Shillingford.  I decided to stick to the roads from now on.  I crossed the river at Shillingford bridge. There was pavement all the way to Wallingford and then it was a quiet country road home.  I did cut across the fields at the back of my house expecting some water, but it was ok.  I arrived home with calve cramps.  Maybe 17 miles is a little too far to run after having done nothing for 19 days.  It was still very enjoyable and I felt good to feel some pain again.

Let the training begin

I just had 2 weeks off.  Doing completely nothing, no running, no swimming and no cycling.  I still ate like I was exercising and consequently put on over 2 kilos during Xmas and the new year.  I am not worried.  I am sure it will fall off once training starts and training starts tomorrow.

My first A race is Nemea in May. Leading up to it I have a 50 mile cross country and a 12 hour track race lined up.  So I really need to get started with less than 20 weeks to go before I try to run 180km in 28 hours or less.  I hope less, but that's dependent on my training.

I am excited about running again.  Two weeks off and I have missed running.  So tomorrow I will get a lift to work and then run home in the evening. Can't wait!

Moving Website to here

I am slowly updating this site with my race reports from the last 2 years. The links are on the right hand side of the page. It is going slow because I am re-reading the reports and floods of good memories are coming back to me, especially the Enduroman at Lanzarote.  That was something quite special!